Un Compleanno é Un Giro

     April 21,2012 My ZiaRita has never celebrated her birthday. Today my cousinVeruska had a few family members get together for lunch as a surprise for her birthday since she just turned 60 years old. I finally got to meet another cousin of mine who is two years old, but she was very shy. Hopefully by the time we leave she will come around. I loved spending time with my family because most of my favorite cousins were there. I say my favorites, but that is because those are the ones that I am close too. They are the ones that joke around with me, correct my grammar, and also take me out and show me Italy. Italians eat so much food its crazy. In America we only eat the main course. Sometimes we have appetizers, but not every meal and usually only when we go to eat at a restaraunt. Here they have appetizers with lunch and dinner...so much food! My family always makes comments and thinks that I am sick because according to them I don't eat, but in reality I am just saving room for the main course. They have Bar's here that serve alcohol, pastries, and coffee all in one. A lot of times they stop at the bar order a coffee, but it isn't large like our starbucks it is pretty much a shot of espresso. I usually get a cappucino because there is more plus it has milk. I never used to like espresso or the taste of coffee, butI am really starting to like it now.

     After the party my mom, my two cousins, and my aunt went down town my mom's city where they were doing a make-up demostration/advertisement for Loreal. My little cousin loves make-up but doesn't get to wear it yet because she is only 10, but I told them I wanted to go there just so that she could have her make-up done. So we all got our nails painted and our make-up done. There was a girl there who I really liked how her make-up was  done. It was dark and different than how I usually do mine since I like to keep it natural, but I decided to try something different. It actually didn't turn out to bad, but I probably wont' be doing it like that again anytime soon.

Oh Yeah! I know I have probably said it before, but I am going to say it again. If you thought driving in San Fransisco was bad you should see how they drive here. Heck look at the way they park! They will park there cars any where they can find a spot and in an direction it will fit. If there is a will there is a way!!

Testa Dura

April 20,2012 This morning after I woke up and went into the kitchen there was an amazing pastry waiting for me that my cousin  Roberto went and bought especially for me. For those who think that Mr. T's doughnuts are great...these pastries here are ten times better. This is one of the first things I wanted to try when I got here because I remember how great it was 6 years ago when I had one for the first time. It is called a bomba (bomb) because of all  the creme and sugar it has. It is basically a round filled doughnut with sugar on top, but the creme inside of this one was Nutella. They also have a vanilla creme filling which I think is a lot better probably because we already have Nutella in the US.

     After 3 days without  a computer or phone my cousin Veruska took me to her house so that I could use her computer. Only 3 days and I feel like I am already lost haha. My cousin Nico also activated a cell phone for us to use. We can call the US for free! Almost everyone here has 2 cell phones or more. One for each provider. It is like us having one phone for verizon and one for AT&T. I laughed at my cousin because when her phone rang she had to pull out all 3 of her phones to see which one was ringing.Later while she was giving me the tour of her house I found a 4th phone (iphone) in her bedroom. I call it crazy, but their total bill for 3 phones probably equals my total bill for my 1 iphone. It's definitely cheaper here for phone service.

     My mom is from the region called Calabria. They call people from here Calabrese and they also say they have una testa dura (hard head). Today we went to the bank to exchange our money and the man at the bank was being difficult. My mom said that he had said something to the effect of "you guys should have gone somewhere else." She took it as though he didn't want to help us, and her Calabrese stubborn attitude kicked in. She said "forget it I don't want to do business with him, he doesn't want my money anyways!" She started walking away and was then telling me in English that I should do the same, but if I left now the banks were closing and I wouldn't have been able to get money until Monday. I stuck it out with my cousin Veruska and the man eventually changed my money. As for mom she has to wait until Monday now.

Traveling Through Time

     April 17,2012-April 18,2012 Today we spent the day traveling through time. I feel like I lost a day which technically I did since we are now 9 hours ahead of the US time. Our first flight was on an American Airlines 737 plane that had large space compartments for luggage and semi comfortable seats. When we left Chicago for Rome we were on an American Airlines 767 plane. One would think that a larger plane=larger space for luggage but nope..the larger plane had more uncomfortable seating and smaller space compartments for luggage. Fortunately for us we had no problems getting our carry on items to fit unlike others. Our last flight was on Alitalia from Rome to a city close to where my family lives. Usually this plane is louder and a rougher flight since it is a smaller plane. This time I somehow managed to sleep through take off and didn't wake up until after we were in the air. The landing was amazing...smoothest landing I have ever had on a plane. Too bad that pilot can't be my personal chauffer for future flights. While we were in Rome waiting for our last flight we had a 4 hour layover. The agent had asked us for some numbers to input in the computer so that she could check and see where our baggage was being sent. After spending about 20 minutes calling American Airlines and my dad trying to figure out why they didn't give us these numbers we needed, I ended up finding them in my wallet. The lady in San Fransisco put our tickets in an envelope and handed it to me not explaining that the stickers on the envelope would be needed for our bags....good thing I didn't throw them away. Finally after we collected our bags at our final destination we were able to finally go meet our family that I have not seen for 6 years.

     April 19,2012 Today was a lazy day which was definitely needed considering I was able to catch up on the sleep that I missed during our day of travel plus getting adjusted to the time change. My morning started off waking up at 10am. I woke up and went to say hello to my cousin who came over to see us and we ate a small breakfast. The breakfast here isn't like the breakfast we have in America. Italians usually eat pasteries and coffee in the morning. After visiting for a little bit I went to lay back down and fell asleep for another couple of hours. I woke up again in time for lucnh around 1pm and had pasta burro mmmm (spaghetti with butter and fresh parmesan cheese). Although we can buy fresh parmesan cheese in America, there is something about being in Italy that makes it taste a whole lot better. After lunch I was freezing cold so I went to lay under the covers and read my book...what do you know I fell asleep again!

     We are staying with my aunt who is 76 years old and she has a heater, but does not know how to use it. Not only is the weather here cold and rainy, but her house has tile floors all throughout and the windows had been open until we got here (now they are closed). I don't dare let my bare feet touch the freezing floor but I am also hesitant to enter the bathroom. The toilet here is 100% porcelain and it does not have a plastic lid like we have in America to sit down on...so you can imagine porcelain+cold=literally freezing my @$$ off. Oh yeah they also have a water heater that is set to low, so the water only gets lukewarm...good thing I remember from last time where the switch is to turn it up.

     Since we were coming here the week after Easter I had asked my family to get me a chocolate egg. I remember when I was here in 2nd grade for Easter they have big chocolate eggs that you crack open and there is a gift inside. My cousin Veruska gave me one as a gift and then when I got home later that day I found another one in my room as a surprise from my uncle.

     The first week has already been challenging remembering the language. I understand almost everything, but get frustrated when I can't think of what it is I want to say...I know me frustrated?? NEVER! My cousins noticed that when my mom speaks to me in Italian I have been responding to her in English. Veruska my cousin tells me IN ITALIAN!!! She's good at correcting me and making me speak. I explained to them (in Italian) that it is easier for me to respond in English because by the time I think of what I need to say in Italian the conversation is already over. It's funny that Veruska's son who is 6 years old is sitting in the backseat of the car correcting my grammar as well...with all this help I should be fluent in no time.

    

Buon Viaggio

It has been a very long time since I have written or even posted something on my blog. With work, school, and all of life's other busy adventures I just have not been able to find the time. Even though I was originally using this blog to show my craft projects and share ideas with friends, I have now decided to use it as a way of keeping in touch with my friends and family while on vacation. Since I will only be able to communicate via the internet I thought this would be the best way to share with everyone the highlights of our trip. My goal is to write everyday and share many photos. I am not sure how frequently I will be able to access a computer, but I will definitely be blogging every chance I get. If you would like to stay update with the journey of our trip make sure you follow me. I will also be posting to Facebook as well. I am a mixture of emotions right now, but I honestly can not wait to see my family that I have not seen in six years!

Friends in Need

Hi everyone! Once a month some girlfriends and I get together for a girls night and play bunco. About half of the group has grown up together, and we've known each other since elementary school. Last night we found out that one of my friends fathers has been diagnosed with cancer. She lost her mother 19 years ago to this same disease, and now her father is beginning his own fight, and their family is facing this terrible nightmare all over again. They can use all the prayers they can get right now... STRENGTH for the ability to stay strong emotionally and physically to fight this thing as a family and with the support of friends, HOPE that their father will be healed by the hands of God, and COMFORT knowing they have many friends, family, and strangers praying for them asking God to help them through this difficult time.

Today I thought I would make a card for both girls in my group (they are sisters), and have each girl in our bunco group sign the card showing our love and support. This is the first idea I came up with.

This card was made by using the Wild Card Cricut cartridge and some Prima flowers from Michael's. When using flowers I also like to add a flower brad to the center for an additional embellishment. Just when I thought I was done making these encouraging cards I came up with a better idea! I thought of a way to make some dice, since Bunco is a dice game.

These are some of the dice I made. I created these by using the Creative Memories square punch and by using the Making Memories brad and eyelet setter for the holes. I then decided to remove the flowers I had originally used and replace them with the new dice I just made. To add a 3D effect I added some pop dots to the back of the die to make them stand out a little more. Here is what the final project looked like.....I am so excited that I thought of this cute and creative idea!!!

Thank you all for visiting my blog and for all the prayers and support....I know my friends are appreciative as well!

Busy Bee

I have been so busy with life and work that I have failed to keep up with my blogging. I fell so behind that I almost lost some blog candy I won, but thankfully they were very understanding and agreed to honor my award and allow me to claim my prize. This is the first item I have won since I began blogging, and I can't wait to see what I will get in the mail. While I have been away from blogging I practiced with my Nikon camera and took some photos of my friends ten year old niece. For some reason I really love taking head shots and close up  pictures. I think it  might have to do with how clear and awesome the picture turns out.

This next picture was my absolute favorite. We were determined to find a sunflower and drove around until we did. When I have an idea for a picture I try to make it happen. This turned out so awesome and she looked so pretty.

My other reason for finding the sunflower is because I like being able to take an awesome picture, turn it to black and white, and then focus on one item and bring just that item into color. For this picture I used the creative memory manager program. It is an awesome program for storing, editing, and photo shopping your pictures...and the best part is, it only costs $39.95. If you love this photo as much as I do, and would like to have the same ability, you can view this on my personal website at:http://www.mycmsite.com/sabrinacherry81

My mom needed me to make a birthday card for one of her friends, so when I am making cards I try to make a couple extra to have on hand in case I need them for another occasion. I never thought I would like using flowers, but they really bring a lot of character to a card, and I am really starting to love using all of my flowers. So much that Michael's just had a 50% off coupon and I went 3 times to get three different colors for $5.00 each! Here are a couple of the cards I made.

I hope you liked my new additions and projects that I am experiencing with. Every time I work on a new card  I am always trying to do something different and make it better. I always love ideas for improvement, so let me know what you think.

Crafty with my Cricut

I finally have had some time to sit down and use my new Cricut Imagine and cartridges, and I must say I LOVE IT!!! I needed to make two cards.The first one was a get well card and the second was a birthday card.

I used the Cricut Wild Card Cartridge for this card. Everything on this card except for the monkeys were used from this cartridge. The tree branch has a bird sitting on it, but because I wanted it to say "Hang in There" I decided to cut the bird off and add the monkeys. The monkeys were made with a clear stamp that I had and embossed with a bronze/brown glitter.

The second card I made  was a birthday card for my friend who is an absolute Mickey Mouse lover.

I am fairly new to card making along with embossing, and sewing on my projects. The mickey mouse paper I was able to find at one of the local craft stores. Mickey Mouse was cut out and pieced together from my Imagine and using the Disney Mickey and Friends cartridge. I used different colors of paper and then pieced together to save the ink in my printer. I put pop dots underneath Mickey to give him the 3D effect. Happy Birthday was made with a stamp I had and then embossed with black powder. Finally I tried sewing with my new Pixie machine I got from a friend. This is the first thing I have tried to sew with it so it was a little crooked. I had a problem with the foot not powering the machine, so I am still trying to figure out if it is inexperienced operator error, or the machine just decided to quit working on me LOL.

My favorite part of this card was the inside. I don't know why maybe its the colors or how well i think it matched, but I think the inside is what turned out the best!

I did the same thing with this Mickey as the other one. I pieced it together after it was cut out by my imagine, and then I raised it on a few pop dots. Since the Mickey was raised it also worked well as a gift card holder, for the gift I placed within the card.

Even though I saw flaws, and picked at things that could have been better or done differently my friend absolutely loved her card, and she was totally surprised when I showed up to work with her gift!